Carolyn's Enterprise Mobility Blog

With the recent release of the iPad 2 and the rumblings of other tablets on the verge of entering the market, including the BlackBerry Playbook, organizations need to prepare themselves because these new mobile devices will not only enter the enterprise this year, they have to potential to evolve your business.  Here are five reasons why you should pay attention to tablets in your enterprise.

1. They already are in your enterprise. The year 2010 marked the release and adoption of a new age of mobile tablet devices. There was massive uptake of the revised mobile technology by consumers which was followed by corporations. Research group IDC reported that 17 million tablet devices were purchased in 2010[i] and other sources estimate that a combination of manufacturers will release anywhere between 80 to 100 new models this year[ii]. Some or possibly all of these devices have or eventually will make their way into enterprise organizations to join the others that have already made it through the doors. This leads to the second reason by tablets will enter and evolve the enterprise.
2. The concept of the Consumerization of IT applies. The evolution of mobile devices was a result of both innovation and consumer demand. We have seen a proliferation of mobile devices enter into the market and consumers have abandoned older, out-dated smartphones for more modern technology. The concept of the ‘Consumerization of IT’ was witnessed with the release of the iPhone and then again with the release of the iPad. In 2011 we will see more tablets released which will in turn give consumers more choice, which they love. These tablets will be brought into organizations, and IT groups will be contacted to determine how an employee can access email and applications on their new mobile device. Tablets that enter the enterprise need to be secured for corporate activities, which leads to the third reason.
3. They can be managed and secured by the enterprise. There has been speculation as to whether or not consumer mobile devices can be secured and managed to meet enterprise organizations corporate and industry policies. It has been proven that new age smartphones,  including the Apple iPhone and Android OS Motorola Droid, have been secured to meet business standards and that the same solutions used to control these mobile devices can be applied to tablets. Once tablets are secured in the enterprise, they are enabled to evolve business, and this leads to the next reason.
4. Their enterprise application friendly form factor. Laptops and ruggedized tablets acted as the original mobile device form factor for field workers to input data into a simple business applications while working in away from the office. The tablets of today have the ability to house both simple and complex business applications, and even communicate changes made in each type of application to the main office and its systems. With critical business information accessible and shared via a tablet by many employees in the enterprise, this new age mobile technology will not only evolve operations, but will become part of the overall unwired enterprise strategy. This leads to the fifth and final reason.
5. They contribute to an unwired enterprise strategy. Tablets are making their way into many enterprise organizations by employees of all types including task workers, information workers, and executives. They are being used for both personal and corporate activities, and enterprise organizations that include them in their mobile strategy will be better for it. Tablets have the potential to replace the PC and be used in work stations, connecting to the enterprise network and users accessing, manipulating, and sharing information with keyboards, mice and other tablet accessories.

These are five reasons why the tablet will enter and have the potential to evolve the enterprise, however, the ultimate determining factor is how your business will look at this innovative technology and what you will choose to do about it.